


solar

by tte



Series: cardinal directions [2]
Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: M/M, the vacation fic no one asked for
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-15
Updated: 2018-06-15
Packaged: 2019-05-23 17:29:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14938721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tte/pseuds/tte
Summary: Epilogue/companion to West Towards the Sun.





	solar

**Author's Note:**

> Liberties have been taken with locations.
> 
> West Towards the Sun was meant to stand alone; this fic isn’t necessary to the main story.

_June 2020_

  
Nathan squinted at his watch. 11:13AM. He took his phone out of his pocket for the fiftieth time in the last fifteen minutes, scrolled aimlessly through Instagram without processing a thing, skipped the song currently playing on iTunes, and the next one, and the next. He put the phone back in his pocket, pushed his glasses up his nose, got up from the hard, uncomfortable bench, and walked around in a well-traveled circle between the milling clumps of people in the airport.

  
Why, today of all fucking days, did the flight have to be late.

  
_You haven't seen Shoma in three months, you can wait another thirty minutes._

  
Which, okay, that was true, but it didn't make Nathan any less impatient for Shoma's plane to finally return to solid ground and for Shoma to fall into his arms and for both of them to walk out into the glorious Hawaiian sunshine so they can finally, _finally_ get started on this vacation that they've both needed for so long.

  
His stomach fluttered with nerves and anticipation, and even as Nathan quashed the feeling as best he could, there was no point denying that he was nervous. So much had happened since the Grand Prix Final - since the leak - since Worlds - since he came out publicly the month before. He used to tell himself it didn't really matter, telling people the truth, but it did, in ways he didn't fully understand yet himself. And it had been Shoma's idea, afterward, to go on vacation somewhere, just the two of them, to decompress after a rollercoaster year and process all that had changed.

  
_("Wait, seriously?" Nathan had been surprised at the suggestion. "You never take vacations. You practically live in the rink."_

  
_Shoma shrugged and smiled on his phone screen. "Just one week. Everything has first time.")_

  
Which was true, too. There was a first time for everything, including spending an extended amount of one-on-one time with your boyfr...significant other. Partner. Friend. None of those words were the right fit for what Shoma was. All Nathan knew were these simple facts: that Shoma was one of the best things to ever happen to him, and that, for all the hotel rooms they've shared in the last two years, all the brief glances across a room or across practice ice, this would be the first time they met face to face after telling each other, and the people who cared about them, the truth they'd already known.

  
And that was why Nathan's organs were trying to tie themselves into a knot as he glared at the arrivals board for the six hundredth time to see _oh shit the plane's landed._

  
Shoma's text message confirmed this, and eleven agonizing minutes later, Nathan saw a messy mop of brown hair, nearly hidden among the taller passengers coming through the door, a black and white t-shirt, a red suitcase, and dark brown eyes that lit up as Shoma spotted Nathan in the crowd.

  
Nathan wanted to run. He could have, but with a massive effort, he restrained himself to a fast walk. As he pulled Shoma into a tight hug and breathed in (shampoo, laundry detergent, the unfortunate odors of a trans-Pacific flight, and something simply Shoma), all the anxiety he'd been holding inside slid away like water to the sea.

  
\-----

  
They'd rented a cozy suite in a hotel by the beach, complete with kitchenette and jacuzzi and a view of the water. Not too fancy, but not too cheap. Nathan didn't think they'd ever need the kitchen (it had never come up in conversation, but he suspected they were both awful cooks), but it gave the room a homey feel.

  
Shoma kissed him as soon as they were through the door, and instantly, Nathan was drowning. They were used to long periods of time apart, but nothing ever quite prepared Nathan for the feeling of release in a first kiss after months without.

  
Shoma drew back, smiling. "I need a bath."

  
"Well, so do I."

  
"Big bathtub," Shoma continued as he started to remove his travel clothes.

  
"I knew we picked this place for a reason."

  
\-----

  
The plan had been to spend the afternoon exploring and getting the hang of the neighborhood. Shoma wasn't exactly sad that they spent most of it in a horizontal position instead, alternately napping and doing other things entirely. He smacked his head on the wall at one point, which was mostly Nathan's fault, but after a moment of alarmed apologies they had a good laugh about it. It felt good to laugh with Nathan again. It felt more than good, gasping in the shared air between them as Nathan rested his forehead against Shoma's, tired and exhilarated. It felt a little bit like dying, and a lot like living.

  
They had dinner at the hotel, and then they went to the beach. For the sake of privacy, they'd decided to avoid the busiest tourist areas and planned their trip for a small town on the west side of the Big Island. It was a quiet beach, a few couples strolling or sitting together in the fading rays of sunlight. The water glittered, warm pink and orange, dusky purple and gray.

  
They sat on towels and shared a bottle of wine. It was bitter, and Shoma didn't like it, but it felt good to be sitting there. He marveled at it, the contentment. Only a few months ago, he thought his life was falling apart. This happiness felt new and infinitely fragile.

  
Nathan nudged Shoma's right ankle with his foot. "How's your ankle doing?"

  
"It's great. Eighty, ninety percent. I can do all jumps." Shoma accepted Nathan's wine glass, put his lips where Nathan's had been. He could feel Nathan's eyes on him as he tilted the glass back and drained what was left. He set the glass in the sand between them and rested his cheek on his knees. The world flipped sideways, sand to the left and sky to the right. "How are you? After...after."

  
Nathan looked at the water, thoughtful. He'd come out about his sexuality and relationship in a magazine interview one month ago, and the internet had promptly burnt down - or so Shoma had been told. He tried not to pay attention to stuff like that. But he had read the interview, slowly, in English, trying to hear the rhythm of Nathan's voice through the printed words.

  
_(How did you become aware of it, of being attracted to both genders?_

  
_This is going to sound cliché but...I made a boy laugh, and then it just hit me. I mean, I think some part of me knew immediately. But because I'd never had an experience like that before, I think I panicked a little at first, I wasn't sure how to process it. But I must be the luckiest guy alive, because it turned out Shoma liked me, too. The fact that he reciprocated my feelings helped me come to terms with them much more quickly.)_

  
Shoma had blushed, reading that. He didn't know about that moment. Nathan had made him laugh many times. He resolved to ask Nathan about it one day.

  
But he hadn't been able to ignore the fear that stabbed through him as he read his name on the page. They had talked about it at length. He had told Nathan adamantly that he was okay with it, that there was no point hiding it anymore. He had spent hours agonizing over the message to put on his website once the news dropped, editing and re-editing it with his manager's gentle encouragement. But none of that could completely dissipate the tension, the knowledge that saying it out loud would change things forever.

  
_(When and why did you decide to come out publicly?_

  
_It happened in stages. At first I didn't want to tell anyone, not even my family, not because I was afraid of what they'd think, but because I just wanted to keep my private life, private. I wanted to be the only person to control it. But then rumors started circling, and I finally realized that the only way to really control my own story, is to tell it myself, in my own words. Show that I'm proud to be who I am, and that I trust the people around me, who have supported me for so long.)_

  
They'd spoken a bit on the phone after the interview was published, but neither of them knew what to say. The conversation drifted away to other topics instead; Nathan's schoolwork and friends, Shoma's new apartment. It was never all about words between them, and there had been far too much to process then, far too many feelings left unvoiced, far too much fallout from the public. It was around that time that Shoma decided they needed to see each other again, and this time, he would take the initiative and propose a vacation. He had learned his lesson about stupidly distancing himself when there was no need for it.

  
He pulled himself back to the present as Nathan began to speak. "It's been...a lot. There were some shitty responses, I knew there would be. But overall, it's been amazingly positive. I've gotten so many requests and offers. I did a small event with Adam a while ago. You know how bad I am at making speeches, I was terrified." He laughed. "Adam made it comfortable, though. But I've mostly been lying low. I definitely want to do more in the future, it's just...not yet. I guess I still need some time. I'm still a skater, first and foremost. How about you? How are things in Japan?"

  
Shoma trailed his fingers through the sand. "Same for me. Many questions. I...don't say anything yet, no interviews. Only message to my fans." He closed his eyes and mentally recited the words he'd spent hours writing.

  
_(Many of you may know this already, but I would like to say it in my own words. For the past two years, I have been in a relationship with Nathan Chen of the United States. He is an athlete whom I have looked up to for a long time. Through highs and lows, we have challenged and inspired each other. Through highs and lows, we have been happy together._

  
_I do not wish to provide further details on our relationship at this time. Thank you for respecting my wishes for privacy._

  
_As always, from the bottom of my heart, I am grateful for your support. I will continue to work hard to improve my skating and to produce performances with which I, and my fans, can be satisfied._ )

  
There had been so much he couldn't say, but he had meant every word. Oohama had told him that that was more than good enough.

  
Shoma continued. "I don't read fan messages either. Maybe too scared." He smiled bitterly. "But my manager says it's okay. And my friends, and family, it's good."

  
The sun had nearly set all the way, only a round red sliver now peeking above the waves. Nathan touched his thumb to Shoma's cheek, and the déjà vu nearly left Shoma breathless. Two years ago, almost to the day, Nathan had reached out as they sat by the water and the setting sun, and Shoma had taken his hand and hadn't let go. They'd dived headfirst into something neither of them fully understood but both wanted, needed.

  
Shoma held Nathan's hand to his lips and softly kissed each knuckle as the sun disappeared below the world.

  
\-----

  
On the third day, it rained, torrents and torrents of it from a sickly green sky. The fair they'd planned to check out was postponed, so they stayed inside all morning and did nothing much at all.

  
That didn't sit well with Nathan, who had never been on a vacation that didn't have activities planned down to the last second by his indomitable mother. He and Shoma had decided to take a whatever-comes-our-way approach to the whole vacation from the start, the primary goal being relaxation, but years of being drilled on meticulous (bordering on neurotic) time management didn't disappear in the blink of an eye. Nathan wondered if Shoma felt it too, the itch to get back to work, back to practice, back to study (well, maybe not that last one). The first couple of days had been fine, but neither of them were very good at taking long breaks.

  
If Shoma was getting antsy, he didn't show it as much as Nathan did. He pestered Nathan into downloading game apps on his phone so they could play together, then promptly beat Nathan at everything until he started feeling bad and letting Nathan win every once in a while. After his character died for the fifth time in an hour, Nathan chucked his phone at Shoma and threw up his hands. "I give up! I fucking give up, all right."

  
Shoma snickered from the foot of the bed.

  
"If this is revenge for that time I made you watch a basketball game, consider us even." Nathan flumped back down onto the bed. A few minutes later, Shoma joined him; Nathan pretended not to notice. It was almost too easy to let Shoma get close before Nathan tackled him, tickling him furiously as Shoma laughed and cursed at him in Japanese. He'd discovered that Shoma was ticklish ages ago, when they first got together, but it was a weapon he only reserved for dire times.

  
Shoma was lying on his back and wheezing, his hair a beautifully disastrous halo around his head, when Nathan finally granted him a reprieve.

  
"Fuck you," Shoma gasped, trying halfheartedly to sit up, but Nathan's legs around his hips kept him pinned to the sheets.

  
"Really? Do you want to?"

  
"No! Shut up!"

  
"I mean, sometimes I wonder what it's like..." Nathan grinned as he bent down to bite at Shoma's jaw and neck. Shoma didn't even give the pretense of resisting, which might mean Nathan was going to be in big trouble later, but it was worth it. By now they knew each other's bodies like their own reflections, maybe even better, but this never got old - the small sigh as Shoma melted against him, the taste of Shoma's skin.

  
Nathan's grip loosened, a fatal error. Two seconds later, he was the one flat on his back, and Shoma had that glint in his eye that only appeared when he was hellbent on revenge. "Stupid mistake."

  
Nathan swallowed, heart pounding, skin aflame. Okay, so he was really going to pay for the tickling now, but he couldn't say he minded. This was a much better game to lose.

  
\-----

  
They went to the fair the next day. The storm had washed everything clean; grass gleamed in rich greens, the sky an impossible blue. Vendors sold a thousand different knick-knacks below brightly-colored canopies. They munched pineapple slices on sticks, and Shoma bought a necklace for Mihoko. He had no interest in souvenirs, but Mihoko would want to know all about his trip when he got back, and would love anything he gave her.

  
Shoma lit up as they neared the game section. He hadn't played fairground games since he was a little kid, Itsuki crying in his mother's arms as his father held his hand to keep him from running off. A boy in front of a stall was throwing baseballs at stacks of coconut shells. The prize... Shoma grinned and handed Nathan his pineapple kebab.

  
"What are you doing?"

  
"Just watch."

  
Shoma paid the fee; the vendor gave him three baseballs in exchange. There were four stacks of coconuts arranged irregularly on raised metal plates. He threw the baseball up, caught it, assessing its weight, the distance to the stacks... He drew back his arm and let the ball fly.

  
The first ball took out one and a half stacks. Shoma easily cleared the rest. The vendor clapped, impressed. Shoma turned triumphantly and laughed at the look on Nathan's face.

  
"What the hell! You could've been a pitcher in another life."

  
Shoma selected one of the colorful ukeleles hanging from the stall and handed it to Nathan, accepting his pineapple in return. "For you. Play something."

  
"Shoma, I'm touched, but I've never played a ukelele."

  
"It's a small guitar."

  
Nathan snorted. "All right, all right."

  
They sat on a bench at the edge of the fairground, Nathan carefully plucking out chords, getting a feel for the instrument as Shoma watched his slender fingers, fascinated.

  
That was when a dog rushed up to them, barking and jumping around their feet. Shoma didn't know much about dogs and couldn't say which breed it was; it was medium-sized, white, fuzzy, and loud. He drew back; Nathan, on the contrary, held out his hands and spoke soothingly to the dog.

  
"Whoa boy, where's your owner?"

  
"Daisuke, get back here!"

  
A young Asian woman skidded to a halt beside the dog, grabbing its leash. "Dai, sit! Stop bothering these guys. Oh my god, I'm so sorry, we just got him a few days ago and he still thinks he can get away with being a little shit." She straightened and pushed her hair away from her face. Daisuke the dog spun around in a circle, doing his best to tangle himself in his leash in an excitable dog way.

  
"Your dog name is Daisuke?" Shoma asked, interested.

  
"Yeah, he's named after my grandfather. I'm Sara, by the way."

  
"Your family is Japanese?"

  
"My parents moved to Hawaii before I was born." Sara smiled, switching to Japanese. _"Did you come from Japan?"_

  
Hearing his native language spoken to him on this small island in the middle of the ocean gave Shoma a sudden, unexpected jolt. He hadn't realized until just then how much of a strain it was in the last few days to speak nothing but English, to ask strangers to repeat themselves. It had only been a few days, but he had never travelled before without another Japanese person to speak to. Nathan had been learning Japanese slowly over the last two years, but he couldn't hold a conversation yet. Shoma knew Hawaii had a Japanese population, but he hadn't met any of their members until now.

  
There was more than a bit of excitement and relief in Shoma's voice as he replied to Sara. _"Yes. I'm Shoma. We're on vacation here. This is Nathan, my..."_ Shoma abruptly choked. What should he say? _"...friend."_

  
If Sara noticed the awkward pause, she didn't show it. " _Nice to meet you!_ Where are you from, Nathan?"

  
"California." Nathan had been following Shoma and Sara's exchange with amused bewilderment, scratching Daisuke's head as the dog laid down on his foot. "It's our first time in Hawaii."

  
"You picked an interesting place to visit. Most tourists don't come by this way. Oh, you should go to bonfire night!"

  
"What's that?"

  
"A local tradition. We have one every few weeks during the summer. There's one tomorrow night at Scallop Beach, down that way. It's basically a barbeque party, but all the non-locals around this town either vacation here every year or are super chill on the tourist scale. It's cool, I promise, you should check it out."

  
"Sounds great, maybe we will."

  
"Maybe I'll see you there! Great meeting you guys. Okay, Daisuke, let's go! Grandma's still waiting for her sesame oil."

  
Nathan and Shoma watched Daisuke lope away, Sara in tow. The ukelele lay on the bench, temporarily forgotten. Nathan was in a good mood and seemed like he wanted to check out the party that Sara had recommended, but Shoma's excitement at meeting another Japanese-speaking person had been replaced with a twisted mess of feelings that he couldn't understand.

  
\-----

  
Shoma was quiet for the rest of the day, hoping Nathan wouldn't notice, but of course he did. Nathan gently tried to bring it up over dinner. "Shoma, are you okay? If you don't want to go to the party, it's fine. We'll do something else."

  
Shoma shook his head. "No, not that."

  
"What's the matter?"

  
Shoma picked at his food. "I need to think."

  
"Okay."

  
Nathan waited patiently for Shoma to sort out his words. As he laid on the couch later that night, head in Nathan's lap, Shoma finally tried to give voice to his thoughts.

  
"I couldn't say it."

  
"Say what?"

  
"When I in..intro..."

  
"Introduced?"

  
"Introduced you. To Sara. I said you're my friend."

  
"I _am_ your friend."

  
"You know what I mean."

  
"Yeah. Sorry. This isn't the time to make light of things." Nathan sighed, tracing a finger along Shoma's jaw. "I get it. I have a hard time putting it into words, too. All of...this."

  
Words. Words words words. Why did it always come back to words? When Shoma looked at Nathan, he knew how he felt. When they touched, he knew how he felt. Like he was burning. Like being reborn. A little bit of dying and a lot of living. What value were words, compared to that?

  
_It's not just about you._

  
He knew that. He'd known that when he told his parents about Nathan, gritting out the words that refused to come. He'd known that when he posted the message on his website. This thing they had, it was bigger than both of them. But a selfish part of him still wanted things to go back to the way they were. It wasn't fair, the way their relationship had been revealed. It wasn't right. They shouldn't have been forced.

  
The infuriating thing was that, even now, even after putting the truth out there for everyone to see, Shoma was still too afraid to introduce Nathan as anything more than a friend.

  
It occurred to him for the first time that maybe the real reason he had suggested this trip was because he wanted to run away from the world. The thought disgusted him.

  
Shoma closed his eyes. It was impossible to say everything on his mind, not in Japanese, not in English. He found Nathan's hand and linked their fingers together, squeezing tightly. Nathan squeezed back. "I'm scared."

  
"I know. So am I."

  
"I'm not...I'm not ashamed. But...I can't _say_ -"

  
"Shoma. Look at me. Last year was hell. I cheated on you - no, shh, listen to me, it's the truth. I was a fucking idiot. Then you got injured, and then when we thought things were going to be okay, some bastard took photos of us and sold them to a tabloid and everything went to shit. Last month - less than four weeks ago! - I told the whole world that we're fucking. Except, you know, in more polite terms. I think," Nathan finished, "it's totally normal to be scared out of our minds right now."

  
Shoma laughed weakly. "Okay."

  
"And I think it's normal that we still have trouble talking about it with other people. We spent two years not talking about it at all, and now everything's changed all at once. And, like, sometimes we might still need to hide. To be safe." Nathan's voice softened. "I wish you had someone to talk to about all this besides me. At least I have Adam. Is there anyone...?"

  
Shoma hesitated. "My manager. A little bit."

  
"Okay. I'm glad there's someone you can trust...who speaks the same language as you."

  
"Nathan -"

  
"I know how hard English is for you, too."

  
Shoma bit back the half-laugh, half-sob that threatened to burst out of him at any second. What had he done to deserve Nathan? It was inconceivable, how lucky he was.

  
"Shoma, tell me what you need right now."

  
"You. Just you."

  
There was no more need for words, after that.

  
\-----

  
"You ready?"

  
Shoma nodded.

  
"Okay. We'll just go check it out, if we don't like it we'll leave -"

  
Shoma rolled his eyes and held up a hand. "Third time you said that."

  
"Okay, okay, let's go."

  
The truth was, neither of them were exactly social butterflies, but Nathan had had good reason to avoid parties for a while. The last time he'd been to one, things hadn't turned out well. But his life had been a bit of a mess at the time, and he sure as hell wasn't going to get piss-drunk and wake up in a stranger's bed this time around.

  
Shoma was more interested in the food than the party, which was typical. Nathan could hear music blasting and smell the meat sizzling on the grills as they neared Scallop Beach. His stomach growled; they'd skipped dinner for this.

  
"Oh, you guys came!" Sara waved, glowstick bracelets around her wrists.

  
"Hey, Sara!"

  
"Welcome to bonfire night! Dad's serving food over there. Come join us!"

  
It was startlingly easy to meld in with Sara's family and friends. Sara's grandmother took a liking to Shoma immediately ("She keeps saying what a nice and polite young man he is," Sara confided to Nathan, which led Nathan to jokingly reply, "What, am I not a nice and polite young man?"), and Nathan could see Shoma visibly relax as the night went on, freed from the necessity of speaking only his second language. A few martinis didn't hurt, either. The food was delicious, the best they'd had on the whole trip so far; the fire sent golden sparks into the darkening sky.

  
Sara had been right - bonfire night was chill, in a completely warm and welcoming way.

  
She asked Shoma something in Japanese; Shoma laughed and pushed Nathan towards her, a light in his eyes. As Sara pulled Nathan towards the fire, he asked, "What was that about?"

  
Sara winked. "I asked Shoma if I could borrow you for a dance. And don't you dare say you can't dance. No one here can!"

  
"I'm game. Just don't trip me into the fire."

  
\-----

  
He danced with Sara; he danced with Shoma. Maybe it was the alcohol, the atmosphere, a combination of both - but Shoma was radiant, like he'd swallowed the sun. It almost hurt for Nathan to look at him as they spun around the fire; the light turned Shoma's skin and hair to gold.

  
They told everyone they met that they were students, which wasn't a lie. (Nathan imagined, briefly, that that was all they were - college kids on vacation and nothing more. It was only a passing fancy. But sometimes, it didn't hurt to pretend.) Shoma clung to Nathan's arm and put his head on Nathan's shoulder, and Nathan's first thought wasn't how non-platonic the gesture looked. There didn't need to be a thought at all. It was easy, natural as breathing; it was right. No one around them saw it as anything out of the ordinary.

  
\-----

  
"There is absolutely no reason for me to be carrying your drunk ass home right now," Nathan muttered as he carried Shoma's drunk ass back to the hotel. "I can't believe you got yourself dragged into a drinking game."

  
Shoma couldn't believe it either, but he didn't have quite the mental capacity to feel regret at that moment. He did feel a little bad for Nathan, because he _could_ still walk if he tried, but it was Nathan's own fault for offering to carry him in the first place. Shoma told him that, but Nathan replied, "I don't know what you just said."

  
Shoma pieced the sentence together in his fuzzy brain, words coming together and scattering like startled fish, and realized that he'd spoken in Japanese. He laughed. _"I could say anything I want right now, and you wouldn't know."_ Which was a little funny and a little sad at the same time.

  
"I hope you're not making fun of me right now."

  
_"I want to make fun of you every day. I want...to wake up next to you every day. Sometimes it scares me, how much you mean to me. Did you know that? I can't say any of this. And...god, I've never been this drunk before. I hate words. I hate words so much."_

  
They had reached the beach near their hotel; Nathan staggered a few more steps and deposited Shoma in the sand. Shoma laid down and stared into the sky. Were there always so many stars? Did they always spin this way? It had been such a long time since he'd bothered to look at the night sky at all. Living in cities did that to you.

  
Nathan collapsed next to him, exhausted. Shoma counted heartbeats and watched the galaxy turn as Nathan's breathing slowed and quieted.

  
\-----

  
Sometime in the middle of the night, Shoma woke to the sound of Nathan strumming his ukelele and singing. The words passed through his ears and head, incomprehensible. He reached for them, fought to memorize their rise and fall, but they faded away as he sank back into sleep. He wasn't sure the next day if it had been a dream.

  
\-----

  
On their last day in Hawaii, Nathan dragged Shoma on a hiking trip.

  
For all of Shoma's prowess as an athlete, he _deeply_ hated outdoor exercise, and made that abundantly clear as they swatted away bugs among the trees.

  
"Tell me again why?"

  
Nathan sighed. "Sara told me about this place. Come on, it can't be much farther."

  
Shoma pouted. They climbed, and climbed, and climbed, the straps of Nathan's backpack digging uncomfortably into his shoulders. He'd asked Sara for sightseeing tips the night before, and she had recommended a trail that few tourists ever used. It took them to the top of a nearby hill. "The view is amazing," she'd said. "And there's a bit of a surprise at the top. Trust me, if you're leaving soon, don't miss this."

  
Nathan was starting to wonder if they'd gone the wrong way when they finally cleared the trees, then rounded the summit.

  
"Oh."

  
\-----

  
The ocean spread before them, endless turquoise blue nearly indistinguishable from the sky. A small shrine, only a few feet tall, perched at the edge of the bluff, each pillar of its square extending along a compass point. Shoma gently touched the stone, a fine gray powder clinging to his fingertips.

  
Tomorrow, he would fly back to Japan and Nathan back to California. Back home, back to his family, back to the rink, back to reality. Back to questions and expectations and the hurricane of other people's thoughts.

  
Today, Shoma kissed Nathan in full daylight, with not a single care in the world.


End file.
